September news!

It’s been far too long since I’ve been able to catch my breath to write up another blog! There’s been so much happening and so much coming up, that I can’t NOT write a blog!

At any time, to learn more information about the blog content, click on the highlighted coloured words.

First of all, thank you to all of the people who have come on walks over the summer!

I’d also like to introduce one of our part-time tour guides Shady Hafez to Indigenous Walks. Shady is a member of the Indigenous community here in Ottawa with both Algonquin and Syrian decent. He is currently a hard-working student at Carleton University and is working on a special tour for November on war and Indigenous people. Stay tuned!

As well, a huge thanks to the Asinabka Festival and the Indigenous Peoples’ Solidarity Movement for partnering with Indigenous Walks to host a special tour that finished with “Rhymes for Young Gouls” at Victorial Island during the Festival on July 23rd. There was a whopping 101 people and APTN was there to record the whole event. There have been several public tours under the summer night sky too and I was really lucky to have met some amazing quality people! Thank-you everyone for coming on the walk!!

There are new walking tours to check out too! The best place for up to date information is on the schedule page but here’s a brief synopsis:

Beginner’s Tour

This tour is for individuals who are new learners of Indigenous social, political and culture issues. It is also for individuals who have not seen the Ottawa landscape from an Indigenous artistic perspective through monuments and environmental landscape.

September 23 @ 5pm-7pm

October 1 @ 5:30pm-7:30pm

October 7 @ 1pm-2pm FREE tour with the City of Ottawa

Parliament Hill Tour

I’m pretty excited about this tour because it’s a walk that starts at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill and examines architecture, monuments and landscape through an Indigenous lens. For instance, we’ll stop at the Persons Monument and focus on Indigenous people and voting in Canada. I’ll explore the relationship that our past Prime Minister’s had with Indigenous people in Canada and together we can search for hidden architecture of Indigenous imagery built right in to the Parliament buildings.

September 28 @ 5pm-7pm

October 3 @ 5:30pm-7:30pm

October 6 @ 5:30pm-7:30pm

To view more details on any of the following events, just click on the coloured words. Easy peasy.

September 20 – “Breaking Barriers” is an exhibition that features five Indigenous artist (among others) at the Diefenbunker Museum in Carp, ON just 20 minutes from Ottawa. The five artists are Heather Campbell, Rebekah Elkerton, Peter Purdy, Tim Yearington and Howard Adler curated by Jaime Koebel. This exhibition will be up until January 2015 and will even be visisted by Amazing Race Canada during the week of September 22-26, 2014.

September 20 – If you happen to be around the Oshawa area, I would also highly recommend that you see “Reading the Talk” which is an exhibition at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery until January 2015. It is a conversation about the Dish with One Spoon Treaty. Indigenous Artists: Michael Belmore, Hannah Claus, Patricia Deadman, Vanessa Dion Fletcher, Keesic Douglas and Melissa General.

Belmore “Bridge” 2014 from RMG website

September 23 – Anyone wanting to invest in Aboriginal children in Ottawa should attend the Makonsag Aboriginal Headstart AGM. It begins at 5pm and they always have a great meal! If I didn’t have a tour that night, I’d be there in a flash.

September 29 – Opening of autumn exhibitions at Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) from 5pm-7:30pm includes Indigenous artists such as Raymond Boisjoly (Haida/Quebecois), Robert Davidson (Haida), Freda Diesing (Haida) and Beau Dick (Kwakwaka’wakw). There is also, Inuit Prints: Japanese Inspiration exhibition as a part of the opening.

Please remember that you are all welcome to any of these events! I sure hope to see you there!

Questions

There were a few questions on my walks that people had or comments that I made that I said I would follow up with. Here they are!

For more information on the Aboriginal War Veteran’s Monument, you can check this link out. I do believe they made a mistake in the video and indicated that there are two women and two men however, to me, there are clearly three men and one woman. I’ll follow up with the people who made the video.

For the NFB film that I talked about with reference to the Métis war veteran who lost his home to a Settler Soldier upon returning from his time in the war, you can see more information here: Forgotten Warriors by Loretta Todd, 1997.

Also really cool are two local Indigenous radio programs that air right out of Ottawa. The first is Aboriginal CKCU from Carleton University that airs on Sunday mornings at 9am. My favourite program is The Michif Hour with Governor General Award winning host, Tony Belcourt. The other one is The Circle through the University of Ottawa’s CHUO with Darren Sutherland. Check him on out Tuesday from 9pm-10pm. Also click the links to hear podcasts for past shows.

There was a person on the walk who asked me about the original names of Chaudiere Falls. Through my friend and soon to be tour guide J-l Fournier, he shared this information with me (Thanks J-l!):

Akikpauktik from mishomis Commanda,

Akikodjiwan from James morrison (historian)

Pesabkedjowin from Joe Wagoos

It’s kind of time to start thinking about Christmas so I thought I’d leave with you a few shopping ideas:

Sequoia is an Indigenous owned and operated Native inspired beauty and bath company called Sequoia. I have always always been a fan of the Red Clover line!

The BearPawPawn makes me go a little shopping cart crazy. Be forewarned! It has everything.

NativeThreads is worth checking out for the male species in your life.

And of course, there are always gift certificates for spring walks with Indigenous Walks! To inquire, email jaime@indigenouswalks.scom

AWARDS/RECOGNITION

They say if you want to be great, you should surround yourself with greatness. It looks like I’m in good company with friends who are winning awards all over the place. Make sure to congratulate them when you see them!

Also….
Congratulations to Norm Odjick from Kitigan Zibi Reserve for getting a spot on CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person that airs Sunday, September 28th at 8pm. Can’t wait to make this a part of my nightly Sunday evening routine for the next few weeks!

Lee Maracle for winning the Premier’s Award for Art in Ontario

Lee Maracle Photo from Casey the Canadian Librarian

Big applause also to Cheri Deimaline who won the Emerging Artist Award for Premier’s Award for Art in Ontario

Cherie Deimaline Photo from Theytus Books website

Tanya Tagaq recently won the Polaris Award! Amazing!

Tanya Tagaq Photo from Canadian Press

So all that! It’s been a great summer and so far, the fall is pretty awesome too. The October dates will be posted soon! Stay tuned.